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Congress Should Consider Syrian Energy Sanctions
(The Hill) Mark Dubowitz - Members of Congress are considering a bipartisan energy sanctions bill targeting investment in Syria's energy sector, as well as petroleum exports and imports, and the transfer of technology. These bills are modeled on Iran sanctions laws that are successfully squeezing Iran's energy sector. While Robert Ford argued on Tuesday at his confirmation hearing as ambassador to Syria that "additional American measures probably aren't going to have that big of an impact," he is wrong in arguing that U.S sanctions won't work. On Iran in particular, Washington has convinced companies that it is better to do business with the U.S. than spend their scarce capital operating in rogue regimes. It's time to persuade Assad's energy partners that their support for the regime is bad for business - not to mention their reputations. The writer is executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.